WWE Raw Airs Its 1000th Episode Tonight, An Incredible Achievement

It’s the show that has been known as Monday Night Raw, Raw Is War, Raw SuperShow and, most prominently, just WWF Raw. And it’s about to turn 1000.

Tonight, Vince McMahon’s WWE will air the 1000th episode of Raw. That is a staggering feat. The live, prime time wresting program has been airing since 1993. It started on USA Network, moved to TNN (later rebranded as Spike TV) for a while and then went back to USA. It has broadcast from 197 different arenas in 165 cities and 9 different countries (USA, Canada, UK, Afghanistan, Iraq, Germany, Japan, Italy and Mexico).

Over the past 1000 episodes, the WWE has produced an incredible about of programming content–and it’s about to step things up to the next level. Following tonight’s episode, Raw will move from a two-hour format to a three-hour format.

A lot of other wrestling organizations, like WCW and TNA, have struggled to come up with one new show every week. Raw is only a part of the WWE’s weekly programming–the company also produces taped shows like SmackDown!.

The lineup for tonight’s historic episode features a reunion of Degeneration X (DX), featuring Triple H and Shawn Michaels (and don’t be surprised if X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws show up, too).

The new Raw general manager will be named tonight. Rumors are swirling regarding who will get the job. Honestly, as long as it’s not Teddy Long, most fans will probably be happy with the decision.

Finally, it has already been revealed that John Cena will be cashing in his “Money In The Bank” to challenge WWE Champion CM Punk tonight. Usually, MITB is used as a surprise. That isn’t Cena’s style, apparently.